Locally pumped water systems are utilized where traditional municipal or other commercial water service is unavailable, cost prohibitive or of inadequate quality and/or pressure. Such locally pumped water systems are generally subterranean in nature, relying on ground water or conveniently placed storage reservoirs for water supplied to pumping apparatus.
Well casings in locally pumped water systems generally extend from a reservoir or ground water receptacle and typically include a well pump. Well casings typically have an access section which narrows in dimension and terminates in a well casing sealing device. The access section is utilized to service or remove the pump from the well casing for routine maintenance and repair and provides a port for testing ground water quality.
The well casing sealing device generally has two parts. A top section is referred to as the cap and the bottom section is referred to as the base. The well casing sealing device forms a seal about the mouth of the well casing access section via a nut and bolt assembly which couples the seal device cap and base sections together.
The well casing access section, in subterranean and above ground applications, extends to the well casing seal device and has a longitudinal run housing the electrical conduit, to allow simultaneous access to the pump and to electrical power. The electrical conduit is rigidly secured to the well casing seal device.
Known well casing sealing devices utilize a variety of gasket configurations and venting arrangements for air flow between the well casing interior and the external environment. Gaskets provide a watertight seal, preventing contaminants and outside surface water from entering the well casing and contaminating potable water therein.
Known well casing seal devices are typically cast iron, which is costly to manufacture and, when cast, often results in uneven thickness throughout the well seal device. Moreover, such cast iron well casing seal devices may be easily contaminated by salt and other surface de-icers used in adverse weather conditions and once corroded by such chemicals are often difficult to remove after installation. Additionally, such cast iron well casing seal devices can become brittle in cold temperatures, leading to cracking or chipping upon disengagement of the well casing seal from the well casing.
Known, cast iron metallic well casing seal devices may be bolted to the well casing through randomly located positions which are difficult to access. The bolts often rust, becoming difficult to remove once installed. Force necessary to remove such rusted bolts stresses the well casing access section, often compromising or even rupturing the seal formed at the mouth of the well by the well casing sealing device. Uneven placement of the bolts causes some areas of the seal device to be stressed more than other areas when the bolts are removed. This uneven stressing is often aggravated due to location and orientation of the seal device providing limited access to the bolts. Even under ideal weather conditions the seal is often imperfect due to the uneven thickness of the various well casing seal device surfaces when the well casing sealing device is cast.
Metallic, cast iron well casing sealing devices pose a shock hazard to livestock or individuals contacting the well casing sealing device during an electrical conduit fault.